Happy 2010!

I really feel bad for not updating...we got so busy it's hard to stop long enough to write. November was a good month. Dad celebrated his 57th birthday and Thanksgiving was absolutely delicious. We were able to celebrate with both the Spenglers and the McCoys.

Jake's mom Laurie directed A Christmas Story for the Jacksonville Theater Guild in early December. The show was really cute and everyone enjoyed themselves. Finals went well for me this semester...I did a lot better than expected and made the Dean's list for the fourth semester in a row, which will look great on my grad school applications!

Christmas arrived much sooner than expected. I did all my shopping fairly early so there was no scrambling Christmas Eve trying to find a present. Evie thoroughly enjoyed chewing on all the wrapping paper from her presents. She walked around and took paper from everyone just to shove it in her mouth. Oh, did I mention that Evie is walking now? Like a cowboy, all bowlegged, but it is pretty darn cute.

Evelyn turned 1-year-old on December 29, and we celebrated at Los Rancheros with a sizable crowd. Everyone had a great time--including Evie! We ate lots of food and enjoyed some cake. Unfortunately, Evie was so tired by the time everyone had finished their food that she was barely awake for us to sing "Happy Birthday."

New Years' Eve was a lot of fun. Jake and I hosted a small gathering of his buddies for some dinner, TV, and laughs. My favorite part of the day was while I was getting up to get ready to work Jake proposed to me. I didn't cry like I thought I was going to, but I really haven't stopped smiling since.

The Holiday Season was slightly stressful because of all the running around, but I had a great time. 2009 proved to be my best year yet. I am blessed to have such great friends, a loving family, an amazing fiancee, and a beautiful daughter.

October

October is coming to end, which saddens me a little because it is one of my favorite months. I love all the colorful foilage, the sweaters and hoodies, and the hot drinks that make you feel cozy.

Jake and I just celebrated our two year anniversary on Saturday. I met Jake at Olive Garden after he got off work (big night out!). We went shopping for some work clothes and I definitely walked out of Old Navy with more items than he did. After shopping, we went to the movie theatre and saw The Invention of Lying, which wasn't quite what we expected but nonetheless funny in some parts.

Yesterday we went to Grandma's house for Aunt Irene's birthday. It was really nice to see all the family. Evelyn is the center of attention, though she wasn't too keen on it. She was tired all day so the majority of the time she was zoning out or chomping on her cereal puffs. :) She started to warm up to everyone by the time we were leaving (and after her hour nap). After we got home, I wasn't feeling all that well but it passed.

Let's see what else happened this month...

I started working with Americorps through AARP. So far it hasn't been too exciting, but I really do enjoy it. I feel comfortable with the people I work with and want to continue to work hard there. My job lasts through the end of August, so I will hopefully be able to find a job for September.

I am also working on my graduate school applications. I keep thinking that I don't want to go straight through to get my masters but I feel that it's very important I don't lose momentum. The sooner I start the sooner I will be able to finish.

Jake is still doing well at work. The Christmas season for the retail world will begin on Sunday, November 1. I have a feeling that he is dreading it a little bit, but he'll handle it as wonderfully as he does everything else. It will be his first Christmas he won't be a regular associate, which he is extremely excited about.

And Evie! I know I am biased but she is the most perfect baby. She gets into everything and crawls around like a little Army man. She is still putting everything into her mouth, and she is beggining to stand for a few seconds on her own. Evelyn will be walking before we know it! I am both excited and dreading this because it will be even harder to keep up with my little monkey.

I have a million pictures I need to post, and I am going to start using Photobucket so everyone can see the pictures. Building Blocks will be having their Halloween parade on Friday, so I am going to skip work for a couple of hours so I can take pictures of Evie in her Halloween costume (she will be a ladybug). I will make sure to post those as well!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous month and I will talk to you soon.

September

Hello, all! The last month has been full of adventure. Evie made her first trek to Wisconsin. We stayed at Christmas Mountain Village in cabin and did some shopping and hit the tourist spots. The pictures are from Jessie's camera (thanks, Jessie!).

Evie and I have had lunch with Grandma Frannie a couple of times, which is always a blast. We love to get out of the house and Grandma likes to show off her two girls.

On the down side, we have had a great deal of trouble with our landlord. Fortunately, I know my rights as a renter and I'm taking care of things. I doubt that we'll be living in Grandview much longer.

Back to the good news! I was lucky enough to get a position through Americorps here in Springfield. I have to go through the training and then will start within the next couple of weeks (after I read the very long manual).

Jake is on his way to Boston right now. I bought him plane tickets so he and his buddy Ben could go see their friend Chris who is attending Boston University. He's going to have a fun weekend as one of the three amigos!!

Evelyn will be 9-months-old on Sept. 29, which is also Jake's parents' (Rich and Laurie) 30th wedding anniversary. Jake will turn 29 on Sept. 30...and then it will be October!

Eight-Months-Old

A couple of weeks ago, Evelyn was just figuring out how to crawl around, and now she has become a pro. The other day I left the front door open to pack some things in my car, and when I was walking up the sidewalk to the door, here was Evelyn poking her smiling face out the door.

Last week she figured out how to pull herself up and stand next to the coffee table. Now she is getting up and down, standing in her play pen, moving her way around the coffee table with minimal effort.

The girl is fearless! She doesn't cry when she falls or bumps her head on something. And she definitely has an attitude about being put in her play pen. Now that she is mobile she wants to be able to move at her own pace, crawling and hobbling around where she desires.

And one other thing I should mention is that I have never seen a baby smile as much as Evie does. Always has a smile for Mommy. :)


We went to Chicago this weekend and stayed with Jessie and Will. Jake's mom got the whole McCoy clan tickets to see Tony Bennett at Rivinia Saturday night for her birthday present. The concert was a blast, and thankfully, Aunt Jessie watched the baby while we adults enjoyed a little Tony. I must say that I am very glad I don't live in an urban area--I was so furious after riding in the car for 1.5 hours for 45 miles. I think it made appreciate Springfield a little more.

Mid-August

So much has happened with Little McCoy!!!

Within the last week, Evie has started to crawl and pull herself up. Every time I hold her, she wants to climb me like a tree. We had to baby proof the living room and are thinking about putting up the baby gates because if she sees something she wants she goes for it! (That includes Sammy's chew toys.)

Evie is now up to approximately 21 pounds and continues to grow like a weed. Her happy disposition makes her even more endearing to everyone she meets. I can't tell you how many times people comment on her toothless grin. :)

In other news, ISF started last Friday, and we haven't been able to go since both Jake and I have been working our butts off. We made it the night of the Twilight Parade and ate some yummy fried food but had to leave early because it was past Evie's bedtime and she got a little cranky.

One of my best friends from high school is getting married Saturday, August 22. I am one of Niki's bridesmaids...I'm so excited for her. It should be a lot of fun. I love weddings!!!!!

UIS starts back up on Monday! I am both excited for and tired of school. This will be my fifth year in college, which is a lot longer than some of my friends, but at least I can say this will be my last year of undergrad.

Jake is doing great with the Manager in Training positiion at Bergner's. Every time I go into the store all the women in the men's department tell me what a wonderful guy he is and how he really deserves the position. It makes me really happy to see his supportive work network.

I believe that is all the news I have for now. We'll be talking to you again soon!

Evelyn sits up!

Evie has been sitting up for a little bit but leaned forward to keep her balance. Now she is sitting up straight entirely by herself! You can just tell how proud she is of herself. (Thanks to Jessie, I have a few of pictures of her.)

July

Well, it is mid-July already!

Evelyn had her 6 month check-up at the beginning of the month (yes, Evelyn is now 6 months!!!), and she weighed 19 lbs 4 oz and was 29.5 inches long. My guess now is that she has surpassed the 20 lb marker...it feels like she weighs a lot more than that when she is in her carrier at least.

I have been working my tuckus off at Cracker Barrel and finishing up my two summer classes. I have only two more semester, believe it or not, and I am interviewing for two different internships for my fieldwork within the next couple of weeks. Things are coming together very nicely. I have also been volunteering at AARP a couple mornings a week, which keeps me on my toes.

Jake started in his manager in training position last week, and he seems to be enjoying it so far. I know his Manager on Duty shifts have been a little stressful because he's new to it, but it is getting easier for him.

In other news, my grandmother Francine Roberta Lewis turner 90-years-old this past weekend! Can you believe it? Who would think a birthday could be such an accomplishment? I hope the longevity passes down the hereditary line. Her party was very nice, and I managed to convince her to brings some of her WAC albums and family pictures so everyone could enjoy. The wonderful thing about Grandma is that she is always thinking of other people, and I hope that rubs off on Evelyn when she gets a little older. :)

Jake's best friend Ben and my best friend Ashley both had birthdays within the last week as well, so we will be helping celebrate within in the next week. I can't wait to see the two of them!

Pink Eye Alert

I was at work last Monday night; the manager made me go home early because I thought I might have pink eye. Evelyn had all the symptoms but the actual red eyes, but I had the doctor call us in some eye drops to make the other stuff go away. I stayed home all week with Evie to make sure none of the other daycare babies got pink eye. We were successful (as far as we know) in not getting anyone else sick.

Jake has had a few days off recently so we have been able to spend some time together. We have spent a lot of time in front of the tube, watching HBO. Sammy, Jake's pug, has come to live with us, and he enjoys watching TV with his one good eye. It's so amusing when I come home from work to find my little family on the couch watching their Cardinals.

There are so many things coming up on our calendar. My friend Niki is having her bridal shower this weekend; Jake's parents and youngest sister are coming home from their Rome-Paris trip tomorrow; and Jake's first Father's Day is Sunday. The two biggest celebrations coming up is Evelyn's 6 month birthday June 29 and Grandma's 90 birthday July 11. It's going to be a fun month!

June

Hello, everyone!

Evelyn got over her first illness last week, a sinus infection. You don't really realize the disgusting things you'll have to do in motherhood until you need to do them.

At her last appointment, Evie weighed 17 lbs 4 oz and was 27 inches long. She has figured out to get onto her hands and knees, but instead of crawling, dives head first into the carpet, which seems to deter from trying to crawl. Her toes are an absolute fascination to her and anything that is small enough to go into her mouth does. It is absolutely amazing how quickly she is changing...

I started working at Cracker Barrel more, and Evie has started day care. She seems to like it; she has made buddies with another baby girl named Rebecca who is a month older than she is. Oh, and the most important thing I forgot to mention--her two bottom front teeth are coming in! She gets as irritable as her mommy. :)

I am taking two classes this summer at UIS, slowly chipping away at my degree. Only two more semesters after this summer, then straight to my MSW. At least, I hope. In other news, one of Jake's buddies from high school is home from Boston, so we are extremely excited to see him this weekend. As soon as I figure out the software for my new camera, I will be able to post a million pictures of Evie.

April

Evelyn is fantastic! Sorry for the delay in blogs.

Since our last post, Evelyn had a sonogram done of both her hips to see if anything was wrong (they were loose at her last appointment), but everything is looking great. She has begun to mumble and smile quite a bit. She giggles when I blow raspberries on her stomach and have her "flying" through the air.

The McCoy-Lewis clan has moved to Grandview within the last week. We love our tiny little house! It has an enormous big yard (in comparison to the size of the house) and a two-car garage. We have done plenty of yardwork already...I'm excited to plant some tomatoes, peppers, and flowers. It's starting to feel like home!